A wondrous white Chevrolet Venture minivan, seen on a car inspection site in east Beijing, capital of China. The good Venture was a bit dirty and dusty, but appeared to be in a fine overall shape.
The Chevrolet Venture was manufactured from 1997 until 2005, with a facelift in 2001. Our Beijing car is a post-facelifted example. The Venture was the successor of the Chevrolet Lumina. It was based on GM’s famous U-body GMT200 platform.
This platform was also used for the China-made Buick GL8, made by SAIC-GM. Somewhat confusingly, SAIC-GM also made a 10-seat version of the GL8 for the Philippine market. This car was also badged Chevrolet Venture, but it was closer related to the GL8 than to the U.S.-made Venture.
The car we have here is an original U.S.-car, manufactured in Georgia. The Venture was not officially sold in China, but some cars arrived via diplomatic and other misty channels.
The interior was in perfect shape and completely original. Seats need a good cleanup.
The Venture seated six in a 2-2-3 configuration. Power came from a 3.4 liter LA1 V6 engine, good for 185 hp and 280 Nm. The engine was mated to a four-speed automatic, sending horses to the front wheels.
This is the very first Venture I have ever seen in China, and it really does look very similar to the first generation China-made Buick GL8, which is all over the place here. But there are a lot of details that differ; such as the bumpers, lights, mirrors, wheels, and the GL8 didn’t have those cool black strips, and it didn’t have roof rails either.
The Venture badge in an almost-sporty script.
There were three trim levels: Base, LS, and LT.
The LS badge sits on the front door, right behind the window.
A special American van in China.
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